Municipal accessibility: from web portal to citizen services

Establish your municipality's legal framework

In Germany, the European directive on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies is implemented at federal and state level. For municipal offerings, the responsible state law therefore has to be clarified first. Requirements for easy read (Leichte Sprache) and German Sign Language can also differ.

Record the relevant rules together with the responsible contact points in a short internal document. This document should be available to the editorial team, IT and the agencies you commission. That way, the team uses the same verified basis for new sub-projects.

Test citizen services, not just the home page

Citizens want to get something done: book an appointment, apply for a benefit or find information. An entry point on the municipal website may lead into a specialist application run by another provider. For testing, this journey has to be followed through to completion, as far as it can be reached.

Create a sample of frequently used and important services. Include login, error messages, file upload, confirmation and, where relevant, payment. Also check whether information remains understandable and accessible outside normal opening hours.

Base the statement on actual testing

The federal rule in § 7 BITV 2.0 requires an actual assessment and an annual update, as well as an update after significant changes. For a municipality, the corresponding state requirements are decisive. The statement should match the documented testing status and the actual scope of the offering.

A generic text with a high scanner result describes neither all the manually tested requirements nor the quality of an outsourced specialist application. Instead, document the test method, scope and known barriers in a way others can follow. Check which enforcement or conciliation body is responsible under your legal framework.

Feedback has to reach someone in practice

A published mailbox is of little use if nobody handles incoming reports. Assign a subject-matter contact and a deputy. Write a clear acknowledgement of receipt and a process for passing technical findings on to service providers.

Test the feedback channel yourself with a keyboard and assistive technologies. Citizens should not have to overcome an inaccessible hurdle to report a barrier. Agree deadlines for handling and replying based on the rules that apply to you.

Bring editorial work and procurement together

A municipal offering often includes PDFs, official notices, videos and content from many departments. Training the editorial team and accessible document templates prevent new errors. In procurement, technical requirements, manual acceptance testing and fixing barriers reported later should be explicitly agreed.

For federal bodies, § 4 BITV 2.0 provides for certain explanations in easy read and German Sign Language. Municipalities check their state rules on this. AI simplification alone replaces neither expert sign-off nor any required review by the target group.

A realistic start for the coming weeks

1. 1Determine the state law, the people responsible, the scope of the offering and the most important citizen services.
2. 2Collect technical findings and add manual tests of complete processes.
3. 3Prioritise blocked services and recurring errors in shared components.
4. 4Check the statement and the feedback channel against the actual state of the work.
5. 5Build sign-offs, accessible templates and regular retests into normal operations.